The Bahamas: Conflict Erupting Over Do-It-Yourself Fishing (Full text of article)

[TheAnglingReport]

We just came out with a new story on some of the conflicts anglers have faced while DIY fishing in The Bahamas. Some of these are quite serious. I have included the full text of the story here but you can see the story here as well: http://www.anglingreport.com/current_issue.cfm?id=903

We think this issue warrants a serious discussion. Please let us know if you have faced any similar issues or if you have any thoughts. -Mike @ The Angling Report


Full text of the article:

It's an unfortunate fact that news stories often break at the worst possible time. That is certainly the case as regards an abrupt upsurge in conflict in the Bahamas between independent guides and unguided (or do-it-yourself) anglers. The story catches me out of the office and with virtually no means to reach out to important contacts who would help bring needed perspective to this report. Here is the gist of what I know: Some independent guides (that is, those who work on their own as independent businessmen, instead of as employees of lodges) in the Bahamas are seriously harassing do-it-yourself anglers in a number of places across the Bahamas, including Abaco, Exuma, and Long Island. The harassment is not just verbal: it has progressed to property damage and personal exchanges that threaten to become physical. Here are some sample incidents that have occurred. These accounts were either sent to me or appeared in blog posts on the Internet:

"I Just came back from a four-day do-it-yourself trip to Casuarina Point in Abaco. Rented cottage with aluminum boat and small motor. Had read about difficult bones along beach and Cherokee Sound, which lived up to their reputation and then some. What I wish to pass on, however, is a different challenge that I found there. It would appear that the locals are trying to prevent DIY fishing altogether. I say that because at one point during my trip I came upon a flat that was covered up with bones, big ones. I got out of the boat to wade and a local started doing donuts with his boat right near mine. Next, he moved to the end of the flat where the fish were coming on the flat and made lots of commotion with his boat. After spending some time there, he went to the other end of the flat and made more ruckus. This was all designed to make sure that no 'catching' occurred. If this is the way locals want to behave, I don’t intend to come back. This completely spoiled my trip!"
"My group had a problem on Exuma with guides trying to intimidate us. One threatened to firebomb the house where our party was staying. We reported this to the police, but they stonewalled us. That same year an angler I know had his car catch on fire while he was fishing on Exuma. The fire melted the tires, the windshield exploded. Our group has had numerous incidents going back five or six years."
"The problems that we have had with our vehicles have all taken place at the west-side boat launch on Abaco, the launch that Nettie Symonette built when she operated Different of Abaco. We have a pretty good idea who is behind it. A new sign has appeared recently at the boat launch stating 'Private Road. Guided Fishing Only.' A member of our group contacted the local authorities about the sign and, as far as anyone knows, it is a public road. We have been very careful to not leave cars at the launch. Our group fished the area four times this past five weeks but we arranged to be dropped off and picked up by our wives to avoid any confrontations.
"The problems we have had with car vandalism have not just occurred on Abaco. Last year on Exuma we had all four tires slashed. The car was hidden on a vacant lot at the end of a bush road and was only visible from the ocean at Airport Flats. There were a couple of guide boats in the area and they had seen us departing the beach in kayaks. We also had tires slashed several miles south of that area a couple of months before under the same circumstances. The knife or blade that was used to do the slashing was identical in both cases, or at least the holes were."
"In the last couple of weeks a car was vandalized at Garbage Dump Flat near Deadman's Cay on Long Island, and we were accosted by a guide at the Garbage Dump who informed us that it was illegal to fish on our own in the Bahamas. There was another incident with a guide aggressively going at a fisherman on Long Island. The tourist made a big fuss and apparently the guide was contacted by the police and told in no uncertain terms to back off or he would be charged.” Importantly, the single mention above of a positive police response is the only one we have heard about. All of the other anglers say the police have ignored their complaints and/or refused to get involved. A more thorough airing of this issue might turn up more instances of police getting involved, but at this writing the government appears to be allowing a dangerous situation to develop. Slashed tires, a burned automobile, ugly behavior displayed on flats. Can violence be far from surfacing? And who would be charged if violence did flare? No one seriously contests the fact that unguided fishing is legal in the Bahamas, but who will trade the first blows and whose word will be taken as the truth? Think about it. Who wants to spend time in a Bahamas jail? Or a hospital? This is serious stuff. As this is written there are indications that the government is waking up to the untenable situation that has developed in the Bahamas. The threat of violence is only one aspect of the problem. The other aspect is loss of business on the part of owners of small hotels and restaurants in the Out Islands, along with individuals who rent their homes and cars to unguided fishermen. Indeed, unguided anglers spend a lot of money in the Bahamas and they spread it around the communities where they stay. Importantly, Rod Hamilton, whose book, website, and blog (www.diybonefishing.com)are a least partially responsible for the upsurge in interest in unguided fishing, says he is being deluged by calls and e-mails from followers saying they are not going back to the Bahamas until a lawful solution to the current conflicts has been hammered out. One report I received along this line was from an angler who said he had been personally responsible this year alone for encouraging close to a dozen anglers to come to the Bahamas and fish on their own, as well as with independent guides. Collectively, he says, those dozen anglers spent $72,000 on home, car, and boat rentals alone. Food, gifts, and supplies of various other sorts are not included in that tally. That money is gone forever, the writer told me in an impassioned note.


Here at The Angling Report we do not like to write negative stories. My own preference in this instance would be to work behind the scenes with constructive individuals who want to solve this resource allocation issue. Indeed, that is what is involved here. Think jet skis and flats anglers in the Florida Keys. Think float fishermen and recreational tubers out West. This is a squabble over who has what kind of rights to an increasingly valuable, finite resource. Solving such conflicts is what government is all about, and no one of good will doubts the Bahamas government will rise to the challenge eventually. It is what happens in the interim that worries us. Clearly, some independent guides in the Bahamas are acting like thugs and they need to be drawn up short, as they are damaging everyone’s interest. Until they are, be careful if you are headed to the Bahamas on a trip that involves fishing on your own.—Don Causey.

[SeanO]

That's too bad.

I've heard similar stories of Norcal, Oregon and Washington locals. Seems like people tend to dislike outsiders wherever you go.

Good luck,

[Darian]

I agree with Salmonids observation about locals, including Californians. People will protect their own interests regardless of who they are. IMO, in this case there's not that much to consider. The article is talking about harassment of DIY fisherman by local guides in a foreign country.

The article presents that local guides are escalating harassment of non-native, DIY fisherman and that local law enforcement are not overly responsive. We (foreign fisherman) shouldn't expect to be able to just show up and fish in or over a wide area for fish that native locals make their living from without compensating them. Also, since Bahamian laws aren't the same as ours we shouldn't expect a response from local law enforcers to complaints against local guides to be similar to that from police in the U.S., unless physical violence is involved.

I applaud the efforts of the author to attempt to mediate/negotiate a solution to this problem. However, it seems to me that until that effort is successful, the alternative for fishing at Bahamian destinations is to hire a guide, or go someplace else for DIY fishing.

[johnsquires]

Thanks for sharing that very interesting information.
So many angles to approach and debate this and probably one of those issues with no perfect answer. My first thought is, unless specifically mandated, a resource doesn't belong to one segment as far as usage, in this case the guides. I guide and I really feel the rivers I float should have a guide, but I would never confront or intimidate or be anything but professional and friendly and helpful to anyone who feels they have the requisite skills to float the same rivers.
I feel, in this day of easily shared information, some of these people who are so offended that they resort to violence or threats may find that that will backfire on them. The last thing you want is bad publicity for your trips.
Also, even if you do a DIY trip, you are still supporting the local economy as far as other service providers: grocery stores, hotels, fly shops, air service, etc., you know, places where spouses of the guides may be working and benefitting the household in that manner.
That being said, I'm a big believer in guides and place high value on their knowledge and experience.

[Morgan]

Ive lived in Northern Ca my whole life and I have never had these types of issues any where. DIY fishing is encouraged. Outsiders are not threatend by any means. We are all out here to enjoy the natural resources.

This topic is very sad. Fisherman/tourists should not be treated like that any where. Some areas require tourism to allow the town/locals to work...and live their dream. I know if we as locals of Tahoe treated our visitors that way our towns would not be able to sustain the locals with enough work to live.

I would love to see this issue resolved. Because as of now the Bahamas is off my "place to go", list. And its not just the fishing that attracts us "tourists" to these beautiful places. Its the food, the people and of course the fish. But if we cannot feel welcome while enjoying our trips, then what is the point going?

[mems]

I fished Grand Bahama once. I hired a local guide, $400 a day. I stayed at a cheap hotel, $60 a day and had a blast and saved over the all inclusive lodge set up. My guide told me it was illegal to DIY. The government wants tourists to hire guides and stimulate the local economy. We came across a client he had had DIY at a local beach accesable from the road. He waved to him and then told me it was illegal, but because he had been his client he had no ill will towards the fisherman. I can see both sides of the issue. We have lots of locals here who get bent out of shape over tourist fishermen. I think it is nuts, most fly guys practice catch and release and just want an enjoyable experience and do no real harm to the environment. If the bahamas has such a no DIY law, they need to publicize that to fisherman and get the word out. The local guides are trying to make a living. I am sure they know the law and think it is there to protect their livelyhood. They are cheaper than the lodges, and have less overhead. When you DIY, unless you get a kayak or boat, you will be severly limited to the areas you can fish. I like hiring a guide, it helps to maximize your time on the water. The ammount of potential clients on the East Coast is phenominal. I think the high prices in the bahamas are just a case of supply and demand. That is why I am going back to Christmas Island. For me living in Hawaii, it is a real deal. Hope everyone can get along, but that is one of the problems with fishing, other people. Mems.

[John Reese]

We just came out with a new story on some of the conflicts anglers have faced while DIY fishing in The Bahamas. Some of these are quite serious. I have included the full text of the story here but you can see the story here as well: http://www.anglingreport.com/current_issue.cfm?id=903

We think this issue warrants a serious discussion. Please let us know if you have faced any similar issues or if you have any thoughts. -Mike @ The Angling Report


Full text of the article:

It's an unfortunate fact that news stories often break at the worst possible time. That is certainly the case as regards an abrupt upsurge in conflict in the Bahamas between independent guides and unguided (or do-it-yourself) anglers. The story catches me out of the office and with virtually no means to reach out to important contacts who would help bring needed perspective to this report. Here is the gist of what I know: Some independent guides (that is, those who work on their own as independent businessmen, instead of as employees of lodges) in the Bahamas are seriously harassing do-it-yourself anglers in a number of places across the Bahamas, including Abaco, Exuma, and Long Island. The harassment is not just verbal: it has progressed to property damage and personal exchanges that threaten to become physical. Here are some sample incidents that have occurred. These accounts were either sent to me or appeared in blog posts on the Internet:

"I Just came back from a four-day do-it-yourself trip to Casuarina Point in Abaco. Rented cottage with aluminum boat and small motor. Had read about difficult bones along beach and Cherokee Sound, which lived up to their reputation and then some. What I wish to pass on, however, is a different challenge that I found there. It would appear that the locals are trying to prevent DIY fishing altogether. I say that because at one point during my trip I came upon a flat that was covered up with bones, big ones. I got out of the boat to wade and a local started doing donuts with his boat right near mine. Next, he moved to the end of the flat where the fish were coming on the flat and made lots of commotion with his boat. After spending some time there, he went to the other end of the flat and made more ruckus. This was all designed to make sure that no 'catching' occurred. If this is the way locals want to behave, I don’t intend to come back. This completely spoiled my trip!"
"My group had a problem on Exuma with guides trying to intimidate us. One threatened to firebomb the house where our party was staying. We reported this to the police, but they stonewalled us. That same year an angler I know had his car catch on fire while he was fishing on Exuma. The fire melted the tires, the windshield exploded. Our group has had numerous incidents going back five or six years."
"The problems that we have had with our vehicles have all taken place at the west-side boat launch on Abaco, the launch that Nettie Symonette built when she operated Different of Abaco. We have a pretty good idea who is behind it. A new sign has appeared recently at the boat launch stating 'Private Road. Guided Fishing Only.' A member of our group contacted the local authorities about the sign and, as far as anyone knows, it is a public road. We have been very careful to not leave cars at the launch. Our group fished the area four times this past five weeks but we arranged to be dropped off and picked up by our wives to avoid any confrontations.
"The problems we have had with car vandalism have not just occurred on Abaco. Last year on Exuma we had all four tires slashed. The car was hidden on a vacant lot at the end of a bush road and was only visible from the ocean at Airport Flats. There were a couple of guide boats in the area and they had seen us departing the beach in kayaks. We also had tires slashed several miles south of that area a couple of months before under the same circumstances. The knife or blade that was used to do the slashing was identical in both cases, or at least the holes were."
"In the last couple of weeks a car was vandalized at Garbage Dump Flat near Deadman's Cay on Long Island, and we were accosted by a guide at the Garbage Dump who informed us that it was illegal to fish on our own in the Bahamas. There was another incident with a guide aggressively going at a fisherman on Long Island. The tourist made a big fuss and apparently the guide was contacted by the police and told in no uncertain terms to back off or he would be charged.” Importantly, the single mention above of a positive police response is the only one we have heard about. All of the other anglers say the police have ignored their complaints and/or refused to get involved. A more thorough airing of this issue might turn up more instances of police getting involved, but at this writing the government appears to be allowing a dangerous situation to develop. Slashed tires, a burned automobile, ugly behavior displayed on flats. Can violence be far from surfacing? And who would be charged if violence did flare? No one seriously contests the fact that unguided fishing is legal in the Bahamas, but who will trade the first blows and whose word will be taken as the truth? Think about it. Who wants to spend time in a Bahamas jail? Or a hospital? This is serious stuff. As this is written there are indications that the government is waking up to the untenable situation that has developed in the Bahamas. The threat of violence is only one aspect of the problem. The other aspect is loss of business on the part of owners of small hotels and restaurants in the Out Islands, along with individuals who rent their homes and cars to unguided fishermen. Indeed, unguided anglers spend a lot of money in the Bahamas and they spread it around the communities where they stay. Importantly, Rod Hamilton, whose book, website, and blog (www.diybonefishing.com)are a least partially responsible for the upsurge in interest in unguided fishing, says he is being deluged by calls and e-mails from followers saying they are not going back to the Bahamas until a lawful solution to the current conflicts has been hammered out. One report I received along this line was from an angler who said he had been personally responsible this year alone for encouraging close to a dozen anglers to come to the Bahamas and fish on their own, as well as with independent guides. Collectively, he says, those dozen anglers spent $72,000 on home, car, and boat rentals alone. Food, gifts, and supplies of various other sorts are not included in that tally. That money is gone forever, the writer told me in an impassioned note.


Here at The Angling Report we do not like to write negative stories. My own preference in this instance would be to work behind the scenes with constructive individuals who want to solve this resource allocation issue. Indeed, that is what is involved here. Think jet skis and flats anglers in the Florida Keys. Think float fishermen and recreational tubers out West. This is a squabble over who has what kind of rights to an increasingly valuable, finite resource. Solving such conflicts is what government is all about, and no one of good will doubts the Bahamas government will rise to the challenge eventually. It is what happens in the interim that worries us. Clearly, some independent guides in the Bahamas are acting like thugs and they need to be drawn up short, as they are damaging everyone’s interest. Until they are, be careful if you are headed to the Bahamas on a trip that involves fishing on your own.—Don Causey.

I have an ideal.......fux 'em....don't go their anymore...or is that too simple?

[johnsquires]

Interesting that today I received the latest issue of American Angler magazine and at the very top of the cover it reads "DIY MEXICO: Bonefish, Snook, and Tarpon." Different vibe, I guess.

[BS720]

That's too bad.

I've heard similar stories of Norcal, Oregon and Washington locals. Seems like people tend to dislike outsiders wherever you go.

Good luck,

Uh, Negative. I was so happy to see another fly fisherman on my regular river last Summer, I went up and started shooting the shit with him. He was from Florida. I gave him a fly and told him where to put it. He caught a fish within four casts. I was ecstatic, as was he.

I have no interest in conflict on the water. I stay well away from people for that very reason. I have also had a decreasing interest in using guides over the years, for various reasons. I don't really hear of people eating bones, so I don't get the issue. Driving people away from your island is never good business. Especially someone like me, who is likely to fly in, hire a guide for a session, then strike out on my own for a bit. I will admit, when I am fishing in Nicaragua, I keep my fish, and it goes to family. I don't think it's respectful to people that are impoverished to throw fish back in the water. Bones are different.

[ifsteve]

1. I follow the rules.
2. I hire guides a fair bit and sometimes even on my home waters.

However, I also do plenty of DIY fishing. Note to guides everywhere - "I know you make a living off this public resource. But get over yourself. You do NOT own the resource." I have absolutely zero respect for someone who would trash another's property when they are engaged in a lawful activity. None.

Thankfully none of the guides I personnaly know who act this way. Secretive about their trade? You bet. Helpful to other fisherman? Mostly. But every single one of them would bail another fisherman out in an emergency and none of them would act like this. Shameful.